Council approves MOU with Family Enrichment Network for water shutoff displacement prevention

The Binghamton City Council unanimously adopted a resolution on May 7 authorizing the mayor to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Family Enrichment Network to support a water shutoff displacement prevention strategy.

Council member Middleton, who introduced the resolution, said the MOU aims to help families stay in their homes and prevent displacement caused by water shutoffs. Council members thanked colleagues and corporation counsel for work on the strategy and noted coordination with the treasurer's office and the city's water and sewer billing staff.

Council members also noted water shutoffs were ongoing and that Southside neighborhoods would have no water shutoffs the following Monday as a temporary measure; they described the MOU as part of a broader, rapid-response approach to prevent displacement. The resolution passed on a roll-call vote of 7-0.

The transcript records council support for collaborative internal work between the treasurer's office, billing staff and counsel, and calls the MOU another tool to prevent homelessness. The resolution itself authorizes the mayor to enter an agreement with Family Enrichment Network; the transcript does not record the final text of the MOU or a funding appropriation in the meeting.